That 268H is a great street cam. Ditto for the valves. The adjustable roller rockers are a must for a performance build. I prefer steel rockers on the street, but I know plenty of guys who use aluminum on the street with no problems. If you want to stay really sleepy, then find someone who does intake mods for dirt track guys. They can work wonders with factory intakes. Look at the two barrel classes where they are turning rpms consistent with 4bbl cars. Had a friend work on a 2BBL Holley, and do his magic with my 2BBL Cleveland intake and can only say that he was an artist on factory pieces. I DID lose a little bit off the line with that setup but made up for it in the mid and upper ranges. The stroker is a great idea.
Keep in mind that the more displacement, the smaller the cam is going to act, so what would scream in a small block might seem more like an RV cam in a stroker. staying in the stock stroke, 268H. Going stroker, go with something bigger.
I did a period build on my '67 GT (Muscle parts build using Cobra Jet heads, PI intake manifold, Cobra Jet carb, and Cobra Jet exhaust manifolds) in retrospect, I should have done almost exactly what Royce is recommending. I prefer cast iron exhaust manifolds so I would use Cobra Jet exhaust, but other wise big valves in stock heads and a stroker crank is a good combination.
Hmm, what would you guess are the power gains achieved by switching to CJ exhaust manifolds?
And I’m not sure on this - do Cobra Jet manifolds match-up (bolt-wise) to stock 390GT heads? Or is some modification required?
Kinda getting back to “Al Bundy’s” point - when building an engine for a rare Cougar like an XR7-G and you have the original, date coded 390GT exhaust manifolds in-hand, I wonder if a switch like that is worth it?
One head does have to have anew hole drilled. The existing hole is plugged and then the new hole is drilled just above it. Stock GT exhaust manifolds are very restrictive. The gain is a function of what else you are doing. Bigger valves, and a stroker crank means more air in, so bigger exhaust is important to get the benefit of those mods.
I struggle with the dilemma all the time. The safe route is to use only stock stuff. No one will question that and no one will make deductions for deviations from stock. And it can cost less too. On the other hand, we are all just temporary custodians of these cars. No one will throw out G car because it has a few mods, the car will survive and the next owner can decide which way to go in the future. It might sell for less than a stock car (very likely) or it might not make a difference. I am personally more interested in how much fun it is to own the car while I am still able to do so.
OK, I am pretty well decided on a 410 stroker with original heads. I am not going to do anything crazy, just open up the valves, 428 crank, 410 pistons, stock rods, oiling modifications, larger carb (I don’t have the original one anyway).
I think Mr. Basore’s experience with the “period” approach is fascinating. While the idea of a “true to 1969” set of mods is romantic and satisfies a guy like me as far as consummating some scheme I had but never did (no money, or the wrong car), it’s really not rational (a habit of mine). Even in 1969, you could have diverged from Ford’s 390 recipe. I’ve really enjoyed this thread!
Since I will be crossing this bridge with by 390 G car in about a year, what are y’alls thoughts on Edlebrock heads in place of the stock S code heads? Would CJ exhaust manifolds fit on the Edlebrock heads. I’m not looking to make my G into a race car but I do want it to be fun and lively to drive. Thanks
If you are going to build any real performance engine and you don’t care about originality, the E heads are the way to go. You are getting a better head for a little more than the price to machine and build a stock head. The 428CJ manifolds will fit, but IMO, if you are going to go with E heads, you might as well go all the way with headers.
I am also trying to make a lively car, but I would like to keep the original/period look.
When I went through this thought process with the R code (and ultimately decided on a basically stock rebuild & 3.25 gears), the question for me was: “Where the heck are you going in this thing?”
I mean, you talk about wanting spirited driving: BUT, the torque of a properly tuned FE with a 3.25 rear will provide that. Now, if you are planning to drag race the thing & are out to chase down every .10/second, have a ball, but there a million better ways to go fast in the 1/4 mile vs. using a classic car to do it.
When your basic rental car can cover the 1/4 in 14-15 seconds: where the heck are you going?
That’s well said Chris and probably very accurate. I guess the gist of what I want to do is remove about 400 lbs of weight on the front with aluminum heads and intake. But that then goes back to your theme of, well am I going to Autocross this thing which the answer is no!!!
^^^ That is the conclusion I came to Chris. My G needs some attention in lots of different areas and that’s all going to cost money. I have my original, date code correct exhaust manifolds in-hand and in great shape. Do I want to shell out an extra 1K for the Cobra Jet manifolds and drill a hole in my original head (there’s a joke there somewhere)? - or do I want to go with what I already have and spend that money where, if I’m being totally honest with myself, it is needed more, like the interior? Once I made that decision to use my original exhaust manifolds then everything else fell into place and the purpose of my build became clear and my decision making became easier.
It really is a quandary and ultimately a personal decision - and it’s important to note that, IMHO, unless you are irreversibly altering the car there really is no wrong answer here.
What I really want is a G that looks great and is rock solid and dependable. I figure the modest upgrades in engine, gearing and exhaust will be plenty.
As the old racer’s adage goes: “It’s more fun to drive a slow car fast, than a fast car slow”.
I hear ya Phil & Zoli: we love these cars & have been messing with them for years. At some point, you end up loving them for what they are vs. trying to make it into something it’s not.
Especially you Zoli…you’re daily is a friggin Z06. There is nothing you can do to a Cougar to make it even close to the way the Z06 goes, stops, handles.
My co-worker drives a 2013 Audi A8L - he bought it used for $35k, it runs a mid 13 second 1/4 mile, seats 5 and gets almost 30 mpg highway. Turn on the hot stone massage seats & you’d think you died and went to heaven.
Jump in the classic & head to a show, cruise night, out for ice cream, etc? Nothin’ better than a classic for that particular task.
Really, 390s are great engines stock. Even a mild cam will bring a 390 to life(not that they need a lot of help anyway. Very underrated engine). Heck, I’m satisfied with my warmed over 289.
Having seen (not quite) it all, I got to say I go with Guitar74, a sharp-running 390 S-Code gives a very pleasing mid-range hit. I love my $21,000 12.87 car (the 2012 V6), but I also love experiencing again what I experienced in 1968-71.